


Season 14 Meta

by ladykjane



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Archived From Tumblr, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Meta, Nonfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-09-16 15:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16956393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladykjane/pseuds/ladykjane
Summary: Originally posted 27 Oct 2018 at https://kayanem.tumblr.com/post/179494797889/spn-14x03-the-scar-thanks-bobo-3more-1-dean





	1. 14x01 Stranger in a Strange Land (Episode Reaction)

What a place to start.

1\. THE ROAD SO FAR has a great song but is horribly edited and I don’t like it. I should go back and review last year’s TRSF to see if it was at all thematically relevant, but this one makes last season look boring and it was NOT. I do like the diagetic sound move because that is always nifty as a scene shifting device. (Love the brief moment of Sam driving the Impala, and his expression. This is not angry Sam, or a Sam acting rashly or impulsively, this is a Sam coolly, mercilessly getting to where he wants to be.)

2\. That diagetic sound moment is nicely mirrored in this next scene where the man’s alarm sound invokes a location that turns out to be false. Straight away, we’re getting told not to trust what we hear.

I have no strong feelings about Michael. I literally can’t think of anything else to say about this.

3\. I love seeing the bunker busy with people. I like that these are people who don’t even know what the bunker represents, or what it means. They’re using a space to do what it was designed to do, so we see this empty being functional and full, and it feels right. I like how that feels thematically relevant; Michael probably feels the same about Dean. Here is a vessel, doing what it was designed to do, functional and full. 

I very very much love how that aspect of functionality applies to Sam too. He’s finally doing what he stepped up to do at the end of S12, he’s leading this group of people like he can and he should. And he’s a functional human being without his brother! (there’s that word again). He hasn’t gone off the rails, he’s not throwing himself into danger, he’s prioritising Dean without sacrificing himself or others. He’s absolutely not sleeping and is repressing a little but it feels like a reasonable emotional response, and he’s not hiding it from Mary. I’m so proud of him? Look at this v.tall man having healthy emotions and feelings and acting like a grown up! 

4\. I have no strong feelings about Jack. I deeply deeply love stories about all powerful beings learning how to be human, and I also enjoy stories about innocent beings learning just how powerful they are. This is not either of those stories any more, and I’ve lost interest. Go Jack, I guess?

5\. A small round of applause for the amount of emotion and historical context contained within Cas’ eyeroll at Lavender-Kip. I want more impatient, snarky Cas who has no time for this demon BS. I also would like more clever Cas who doesn’t get ambushed by demons but whatever, I guess we can’t have everything. 

I am sort of willing to handwave this as Cas being a lot more desperate than he’s letting on - and boy does he make stupid ass decisions when he’s desperate - and low on Grace. I was a lot more willing to handwave it the first time I watched it because I didn’t know about all the other continuity they were throwing out the window, second time around I’m a bit less forgiving.

On a similar note, I _hate_ that Cas is defeated by getting punched up on the floor because he’s AN ANGEL pls give me some better educated demons but on the other hand, Cas getting beaten like a human after making human mistakes is a Character Choice. I’d be happier if it was more grounded in the plot rather than just ~~!!~themes~!!~~ however.

6\. Can’t decide whether it’s unintentional “An Idiot Wrote This” to have Jo walking down the street openly counting her cash or intentional “She’s An Angel Badass” for the same reason. Anyway, I continue neutral on Michael. I guess at some point I’ll have to feel more emphatic about him, but maybe the show should give me a reason to do so other than “dubcon vessel usage”.

Absolutely have no issues with the representation of glowy-Michael by the way. I don’t think that’s a trueform angel we’re supposed to be seeing, it’s a view of how an angel-within-a-vessel sees another angel-within-a-vessel. Human limitations.

ANYWAY. Love love love. Dean said yes for love. Of course he did, he’s an enormous sap.

There’s an outright mirror between the human Jamil calling for higher angel concepts like peace and love vs angel Sister Jo’s flippant want for material, human things, and Michael dismissing both. Of course, what he ascribes to Jo is what Dean wants, so I don’t really know whether it IS what Sister Jo wants, or whether it’s just Michael dismissing what Dean wants. Damn, I’m always going to be second guessing Michael.

(Sister Jo is going to have to continue to be called Sister Jo, since “Jo” is confusing and Anael is ALSO confusing, because canon exists.)

7\. Good Dad Sam.

JP is bringing it in this episode, he’s absolutely carrying it. It’s sort of lightly startling to have the lead character be so emotionally honest? Or rather, Sam’s subtext is not Dean’s subtext. Sam isn’t hiding anything from himself.

8\. URGH NICK. This scene is well acted and shot, and the dialogue is fine, but I don’t like that Nick even exists again. That man is dead and DEAD even by SPN standards, and I cannot handwave anything to make him alive and sane and human again. His entire presence irritates me like an itch right on my brain. I wish it at least seemed like it was supposed to feel like that, but it doesn’t and that makes it itch all the more.

9\. There’s my smart Cas knowing he’s bait.

10\. Sam is not losing another one of his family. I love how Sam and Mary’s relationship is evolving. Mary’s comment to Sam about not drowning in the bad is deftly handled, and it’s a good callback to times when Sam absolutely has drowned in the bad. It feels like something he’s on the edge of here, not immersed in, and I hope he continues to maintain that balance between empathetic Sam and brutal focus Sam.

11\. This conversation between Sam and Lavender-Kip is magic. We start with Lavender-Kip’s fundamental misunderstanding of how relationships are forged rather than contracted, because he’s a demon and Crossroads is law, but it’s not real. Not only does Lavender-Kip misunderstand relationships, he misunderstands that _Dean_ is the one who unintentionally gets all these beings to revert to their most human levels, because that’s what Dean does by being Dean. Even worse, Kipling recognises and identifies with Sam, and assumes Sam will do the same with him, and that they’ll be equals. Pfft sure, when Sam has exactly the authority to basically declare himself King of Hell? Definitely not equals. Oh, and that King of Hell thing? A Move, Sam Winchester, that I deeply respect. Not only is his brother is currently hosting the de facto leader of Heaven and most powerful surviving angel in the universe ie. perfectly mirroring Sam’s Lucifer-vessel position as ruler of Hell, but Sam is literally standing in front of a giant flaming gateway holding a bloody knife with the dead pretender to the throne at his feet. 

Back on track: Kipling tries to step into Crowley’s shoes. He basically offers Sam the option to continue as they have done for the past however many years, to put a different face into the same roles and maintain the status quo. And Sam shuts that shit down, rejects it, and kills it. Way to set up the season.

12\. I think the pacing in this episode is awful. It veers wildly between utterly lacking momentum, and too much action. I’m mentioning this now because I might as well bundle my major creative criticisms. I don’t like the editing of this episode either. It feels clumsy, tonally off. This bar fight scene is the perfect encapsulation on that, because what on earth is going on here, just overall? Initially I thought they were setting up some kind of play between Sam and Cas, because that’s what the cuts seemed to imply? But then, it wasn’t? Then Jack and Maggie get captured but … I didn’t know if that was maybe a plan, because we never saw them act impulsively and whatnot? So … it’s not a plan then? And wtf is going on with the slow-mo? I have no objection to continuing to play with that, it’s cool and all, but it feels bizarrely thrown in at random moments rather than emphasising the action or underscoring an character beatdown. The threads between who is fighting who seems unbalanced and uncertain, I don’t actually know what is supposed to be happening, and the whole thing feels like a mess.

13\. I’m going to talk about Sam and Cas’s lamp lit conversation in another post :D

14\. Sunshine? REALLY. Er, anyway. Cas is so very human here. He’s not very good at being human still, but we’re all kinda failing at that sometimes. He tries. Jack tries. 

15\. Props to Sister Jo for calling Sam. I don’t know why Michael has gone with vampires because his excuses here seem pretty weak, but Dean is historically heavily associated with vampires and vampires are historically heavily allegorical for sexy times so I’m open to seeing where this goes.


	2. 14x03 The Scar (Episode Reaction)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 27 Oct 2018 at https://kayanem.tumblr.com/post/179494797889/spn-14x03-the-scar-thanks-bobo-3more-1-dean

Thanks Bobo <3

1\. Dean “can’t eat, can’t sleep” … I don’t think that’s about the beard, is it Dean. I like that Sam gently sees through it. I really like the contrast of this lovely soft quiet scene between them both, transitioning into the discord and confusion of a bunker full of people before Dean can say “…Home.” It’s so disorientating and such a great way to subtly set the scene for us on how Dean is feeling; out of his depth, treated with suspicion, out of touch (as Sam is called Chief and gosh, his little attempt to explain and the way he trails off. Just a beautifully understated little Sam moment there).  
Oh yeah hi Jack and Cas. Cute little emotional music swell there, nice touch.

2\. Dean goes to shower. URGH, what a innocuous yet brutal inclusion, see: showering after participating in non/dubiously consensual actions in an attempt to cleanse oneself. Like, just the way he strips off his clothes, this disgust of it.

I have a lot of feelings about the way that shot of Dean discovering the scar mirrors (literally) the shot in 4x01, but also … Bob Singer is no Kim Manners. Sorry Bob.

3\. The Phone Call - yeah, this is going to be my scene dissection, I love this.

4\. What a neat confrontation between Jack and his dads. Also, OUCH, Dean, you were a tiny child back in S1 too y'know. Love that little “didn’t mean to be a dick” comment though, that’s so important. Dean is being conscious of what he says/does, and he’s acknowledging shame/guilt out loud, almost anxiously. That’s not the Dean we know, who masks like a pro.

5\. Berens’ got a thing about kidnapped teens being manipulated by abusive parental figures. He also writes really incredibly layered, understated, good dialogue. This conversation in the Impala? Every line can be stripped and dissected for what Sam and Dean are saying about themselves and each other, individually and as siblings. I mean, let’s take nothing away from the acting here either; that last little sideeye from Dean conveys a thousand million words. The despair, the dismissal, the weariness, the undercut of ‘how can you even ask me that, have you met me, I have a role to play here and you should know better than to ask me to drop the facade, jfc Sam’. Also, how do you manage to avoid eye contact even in a car where nobody should have eye contact anyway? AND YET.

(FYI I rewatched this scene on a loop seven times, it’s astonishingly good.)

6\. I’m honestly having trouble not just yelling I LOVE THIS SCENE every time there’s a new scene. We are so blessed. My favourite favourite bit here is the recurrence of Sam’s serial killer hobby, and Dean’s reaction to it. I love siblings, I love them so much.

7\. I continue neutral on Jack. (He should have just addressed his letter “DADS”.) I do enjoy how much a Winchester he is as he finds a case under his nose - a person who needs his help, here and now - and can’t bring himself to walk away.

This plot line of “Cas and Jack heal the witch girl” is pretty simple, which isn’t necessarily a criticism. It serves really well to show how Jack is growing as a character, and that even Cas de-powered(?) still automatically leans to supernatural means of solving a problem (a supernatural alternative to his powers) which kills Lora* whereas Jack goes for a more human approach: he talks to Lora, he smashes some shit, Lora comes back to life.

(*I thought it was Laura, but superwiki spells it Lora, and I find this hilarious. Lora, embodiment of Lore, anvilicious naming there.)

8\. Hi Dark!Kaia. Her hair is gorgeous. Looks like the Wayward story has been very deftly folded into SPN, which I appreciate, because I want to know how this pans out. (She was trying to kill Claire … I can’t wait til she meets Claire again.)

9\. Jody is so smart. SO SMART and PERCEPTIVE. What a babe. She knows her girls, and her failing to tell them about this case doesn’t feel like the kind of hiding that the Winchesters do. It’s about a parent caring for a child, the trust and honesty she has with Claire, and acknowledging that she’s going to have to deal with a fallout for her decision not to tell her immediately, but she has to deal with it herself first. I’m sure she will tell her, and hopefully we’ll get to see how that goes. There’s a subtle nod here to Dean withholding information from Sam. Dean is still - just a little - in that parenting role, whereas Sam is trying to meet him as an equal. Their balance isn’t quite right yet, but it’s getting closer.

10\. “You’re much weaker.” OOF. Weakness isn’t always bad, Dean, remember. Don’t lean into the torture, please. Don’t be Michael.

11\. Blah blah Jack saves Lora etc etc.

12\. I’m so glad we’re going back to Dean and Kaia’s previous interaction. I like how we learn that Kaia and Dark!Kaia really are two individuals sharing an expanded mind, rather than just a new version of someone. And I really like what she says to Dean, about how he acts poorly around others when he’s afraid and weak. I desperately wish they all had time to process that flashback a little more (I have to assume Sam and Jody also saw that). Dean is most afraid of himself, of his capabilities, and I’m not sure he can realise that.

13\. I don’t know why her chair falling over allows Kaia to be suddenly free of her ropes but whatever.

14\. There is such a subtle but beautiful undercurrent about parenting in this episode. Jody’s moment here, about raising her three hunters and losing one of them, is poignant not just in actuality but in how it echoes through all these other aspects. I wonder if John felt the same about Sam and Dean; I wonder if Dean, Sam, and Cas feel the same way about Jack. We also have Lora, and the witch who gave her pretty things but was stealing her life, and her real mother who lost her, nearly forever, but didn’t even know. It’s so hard.

15\. The way he says “kill Michael” is everything to me. And I … Hmm. I rewrote this a couple of times, but I can’t find a way to discuss how this scene is important for these characters - and how much their dynamic has evolved just from that earlier Impala scene - because I usually describe my experiences with depression in very similar terms regarding being underwater. It’s too personal to separate, so I’m going to just leave it.

16\. Oh noes Jack is dying :(


	3. 14x04 Mint Condition (Episode Reaction)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 03 Nov 2018 at https://kayanem.tumblr.com/post/179732045994/spn-14x04-mint-condition-what-a-gift-of-an

what a GIFT of an episode

1\. THEN ghosts ghosts ghosts ok so we’re dealing with a ghost then

2\. I love this cold open, it’s slow and creeping in a way that immediately sets the tone. We start with some incredible audio contrast between the comic book visuals and the gold converter advert on tv, leading straight into that beautiful trailer that sets us up for the episode. And then of course we get introduced to our main guys, Stuart and (girl)Sam.

(girl)Sam is trying to be supportive but is actually enabling her buddy with his bad bad ways and it … ends up with them all being plagued by a deceased father figure trying to kill them in retribution for going against his ways. Which is an oddly specific mirror to Sam Winchester, but it does probably say something about Sam being thrust into a leadership position by his parental figure (Dean) and perhaps allowing some leeway/making some decisions he’ll come to regret.

Stuart is … I don’t think he’s a Cas mirror, as I’ve seen a few people mention. It doesn’t fit that he’s Cas; he could maybe be Jack? But I actually think he’s just a horrific beam of light that is there to reflect for our Sam and Dean mirrors. He’s perfect as that internet man we all know and despise. I even love that they cast someone kinda cute (ymmv), because it’s such a deep cut on “what makes you a terrible experience is YOU”.

3\. I think I made my feelings on this Dean eating pizza and watching horror movies thing clear. ( _Link to<https://kayanem.tumblr.com/post/179668741084/hiding-in-his-bedroom-eating-pizza-and-drinking>, a liveblogged crackpost reading:   
Hiding in his bedroom eating pizza and drinking beer and watching bad supernatural-based entertainment because everything is a trash fire and his home is full of strangers.  
I have never related to Dean more tbh_)

On a slightly more serious note, I adore this scene. This doesn’t look like Dean wallowing or retreating; yes, his room is messy, he’s been drinking, and eating trash, but this still feels like a relatively healthy decision for him. He’s taking some time for himself, he’s made himself a secure space where he’s comfortable (SOCKS!), and he’s indulging in some things that make him feel like Dean. I’m going to mention here that it’s interesting this did not involve sex, because traditionally Dean’s coping methods have definitely included “find someone cute and let them give me some momentary self-worth”. This is better, this is about Dean reasserting himself without relying on someone else. And, importantly, he’s not defensive or hiding from Sam. He literally tells Sam that no, he’s not okay, and that his usual safe space (the bunker) is filled with people he doesn’t know or trust, and he’d rather not spend time dealing with that when he’s struggling to deal with all the Michael stuff anyway. (Ok, maybe not in so many words.) And he’s using a coping mechanism to deal with that. This is where I have to clarify that Dean absolutely isn’t using the healthiest possible coping mechanism (boy, I can attest to that), but it’s one that is accessible to him right now, and it’s one that isn’t harmful to himself or anyone else. That’s such a big step for him.

Sam obviously finds a case to lure him out, because he cares about Dean and communicates that clearly (!), but they both know Sam is trying to get Dean out and about, so it’s cool. Even better, Dean is happy to leave his coping-nest and take part in a normal activity that his safe buddy Sam is offering him. Look at this Dean, making good life choices, I’m so proud of him.

I’m also so psyched about their levelling up in Sibling Relationships.

4\. Comic Book Store: Aw they’re pointing out their own mirrors. Also, the Really Obvious Foreshadowing of the Hatchet Man figure is absolutely delightful, I love it.

5\. Kitchen Scene: Insurance Boys vs Angry Redditor. The little details here are perfection. Dean swapping their mugs, Sam knowing what Fortnight is, the endearingly magical costumes. The aside about MIRL (what LAYERS we discover about Sam, that’ll break your heart if you think about it too long), the deliciously casual rudeness of Stuart to their authority figures.

I would love some Crispy Crunchy Cubes yum.

6\. Impala Daytime Stakeout: Gently pointing out those two kids walking past, one lumberjack and the tall one a vampire. Since I have nothing super specific to say about this scene, I should mention that I really like this episode. Of course I love Cas etc etc but I have a deep appreciation for the episodes where it’s just the Winchesters being super competent at their calling in life. Sometimes the cast feels too sprawling, too many threads to squash in, whereas an episode like this can take a moment to linger on the character beats, or the little moments like them "hiding” in the Impala. Sometimes, that’s nice.

7\. Help Me Scene: Sam is the worst at First Aid, it’s official. Actually, it says a lot about Sam that when faced with an injured person, he doesn’t know what to do (muted panic, tbh). He’s moving into a leadership role but he isn’t brilliant at everything. Meanwhile Dean dashes into the house and honestly I made a little squeaky noise at the chainsaw, I wasn’t expecting that.

8\. “Everything is NOT fine” is I think my favourite line.

9\. Dirk & Dean: this is such a magical conversation. I still don’t think Stuart is directly a Cas mirror, but he’s used to reflect on Dean’s character mirror. They have a good friendship (we are all a thousand people, multitudes, even Angry Redditor Stuart). Dean quickly recognises the similarities in this guy, and he and Dirk bond discussing their favourite slasher flicks and TROPES. Tropes that 100% show up later, because a) they’re in SPN, b) the ghost has caught them all in his narrative, c) the show is shining bright spotlights on the foreshadowing in the most gloriously tongue-in-cheek way because both show and audience are in on A & B. This is SO FUN to watch.

That little admittance that Dean liked to “check out” once in a while, and watch movies to escape the reality of his life is such a lot, and it ties back into his coping methods earlier in the episode. I imagine that’s something Dean has done his whole life, but particularly in the period when he was a teenager/early 20s and hunting alone/without Sam/with John. It makes the resolution of his earlier movie watching so good, because Sam could and did come to check on him. That’s the difference, between now and then.

10\. Sam and (girl)Sam! :D I’m glad Sam is also adopting the “ah fuck it ghosts are real” attitude too.

11\. There’s something adorable AND ominous about the ghost enacting revenge for something that has already been compensated. Confused by technology and a diplomatic boss.

12\. Another small moment: Dean going to smash the door and then realising he can just open it. What a beautiful peice of symbolic character development.

13\. The juxtoposition of the guards watching ASD vs the actual ASD scene playing out behind them is *peak comedy-horror*. This seems like a good moment to mention that nothing makes me happier than SPN making an in-universe 80′s horror movie to parallel the in-episode storyline, and then further using that to increase the tension in both through the cross-cut editing? BRILLIANT. And they start cutting between more and more and it’s just! So! Good! (I feel like I don’t need to go into the significance of 1983-fire making a monster thing, someone else will have done that better than I could.)

14\. 2 Sam’s Escaping: “I had a messed up childhood” the casual/black humour way Sam drops that in there is just so so good. Anyway, that’s my boy, using a Scooby-Doo lunchbox and his brain-smarts to blow up a door. It IS cool!

15\. A good old fashioned ghost burn. Should’ve used some salt too boys, you’re forgetting the basics.

16\. “It’s all over, just like that?” I love this acknowledgement that the end of the hunt isn’t the end of the consequences of what happened for the people involved, hunters or civilians.

17\. CHIEF. Oh, my heart.


	4. 14x05 Nightmare Logic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted 10 Nov 2018 at https://kayanem.tumblr.com/post/179974002859/spn-14x05-nightmare-logic-by-far-my-favourite

By far my favourite Glynn episode to date.

1\. THEN I knew I didn’t really have to watch BRL episodes, it’s all in the recaps.

2\. What a delightfully creepy cold open. I love how much Maggie has grown in the short time we’ve known her; there’s a confidence and anticipation in the way she goes in here, and she’s still retained her individuality, her Maggie-ness, with slightly softer clothing and colours. Although she’s adopting the hunter lifestyle, she isn’t bound to the same conventions that Sam and Dean were. I’ve talked about this before in reference to the Wayward girls, but it’s really refreshing to see this new wave/generation of hunters breaking away from the rigid masculinity of traditional hunters.

Oh yeah, and then she gets eaten by a creepy old man or something, not cool.

3\. SAM. BABE. You doing so good. I’m ridiculously proud of him. This episode is heavy on the elusive father figure, and it’s evident even here. Sam was taught all this by John and Dean, and I don’t think they sat him down in a safe, warm library to give him a supportive speech on the importance of research and sharing information to keep yourself safe. What Sam is doing is much closer to what Bobby did for them, but Sam has gone beyond that too. It’s reflective of a kind of self-awareness that Sam is often lacking; he recognises what absolutely did NOT work in his learning about hunting, but he’s also recognising what did, and drawing on all those experiences to try to be better for his little gang of misfits.

It breaks my heart a little to see him slink into himself on Dean’s approach, to get wary and prepare to be defensive. My broken heart is softly repaired however by the absolute open affection on Dean’s face when Sam turns to face him, and the gentle mockery that doesn’t undermine or diminish what Sam is doing. Dean is proud of him, Sam knows he’s doing good, his self-confidence is mostly restored as he explains hunter check-ins. Which, hunter check-ins? A genuinely amazing idea, except I’m not sure Sam should be taking personal responsibility for every hunter under his leadership. I don’t know that Sam has ever learned how to hold people at a distance? Even when he’s using them for his own end, he’ll sacrifice a part of himself to get it.

Anyway, Dean is worried about that too. Sam definitely DOES need someone to worry about him, but I deeply love that Dean is ready to argue with him but still immediately be ready to help him when he needs to. Again: healthy communication, arguing, and supportiveness? BY WINCHESTERS? What is happening in the world.

4\. Crypt scene: I like this new director. There’s a cool subtly to the aesthetic in this episode, it’s not flashy, it’s just lingering in the composition a bit to make you feel it. That moment where they come down the stairs, the movement of boots on stairs and the light, it’s good. It’s a talented director who can balance the audience focus between plot-relevant discussions/sibling support networks AND a lingering appreciation of JA’s eyelashes.

(LESS thrilled about the only POC being a suspicious groundskeeper?)

5\. Sam & Dean vs Mary & Bobby: Bobby is NOT our Bobby, lest we have forgotten.

There’s a soft sort of irony to Mary telling Sam that she and Bobby were coaching Maggie through the hunt, because they are actually the WORST PEOPLE TO BE DOING THAT. It plays into that theme of parental figures; we think of Bobby as a father figure to the Winchesters, but this is not that Bobby, and likewise Mary doesn’t have any experience of actually being a mother to adult children. Sam, on the other hand, has been brought up by hunters, and he knows how to do this. He’s a Good Dad to his hunter family, and he has way more experience than Mary or Bobby. (Mary comes across as SO YOUNG in this episode, it’s lovely.)

6\. I find it kind of fascinating that the show didn’t include Djinns in the THEN, particularly in comparison to last week. Because as soon as we see Maggie here, with all the blood bags, it’s flagging Djinn all over the place. No real comment here, just a general pondering on why they’d keep this monster uncertain in the THEN, particularly compared to last week.

7\. Sasha arrives, and I like Sasha.

8\. The Team Splits Up: Mary and Sam talk about father figures. Mmmh delicious themes.

It’s a lot to see Mary talking about Sam “doing what he was meant to do”, but … she missed all the bits in between, that got him here? It’s trying to be sincere, but Sam can’t quite believe her. Especially when they transition into a conversation about Mary’s love life, where they talk as equal adults, without the complications of a parent-child relationship. Mary is much more sincere when she’s not being a mom.

9\. Sasha & Vampires: I said it last week, but I’m saying it again, I love this whole “fuck it just tell them about monsters” attitude. LOVE IT. Such a good gentle-POV-switching conversation as we get to see both inside and outside the hunter world (there’s a really cool link here with last week’s episode, which also featured lots of little worlds with their own language and formats, because that’s what fandom is). Also love seeing Sam and Dean comfortably split up to tackle different aspects with full trust in the other’s capabilities, and no discussion of who does what. TEAMWORK IS MY JAM.

10\. Sasha & Dean: I’m going to pull this for a scene dissection, it’s a great scene.

11\. Aw Sam and Maggie. “We’ll get you home” OH, _home_.

12\. So AU!Bobby had a son. Angels, sons, loss, hmm. I don’t have much else to say on this other than hoping we learn more, and wanting to reassess any previous interactions between Bobby and Cas. Its hard to know how this has shaped Bobby other than to know it has.

But, Mary and Bobby, lots of feelings in the room woods there. Bobby’s maintained distance between himself and the Winchesters is presumably a product of his feelings for Mary; he’s lost a son, she has two that she found, and accepting Mary into his life means also accepting these two very large boys. That’s a lot to reconcile.

13\. That moment where Dean realises it’s a Djinn hits such a sweet spot.

14\. Dean vs Djinn: gosh this is an incredible scene. There’s a lot to say about the nature of nightmares and the comparisons between what’s in everyone’s nightmares (Rawling lingers on his legacy, on his own dying and his regrets. Maggie is haunted by the loss of her family. Bobby, the Djinn seems to suggest, has faced multiple horrors, and Dean … yeah). But it’s the last part I want to focus on; Dean’s visceral reaction to having someone invade his mind (his nightmares), yet again. An experience he’s had multiple times, and we get reminded of the first Djinn episode, to this latest horror of Michael. It such an unflinching and brutal reaction, and they don’t shy away from it. The way the sound drops out with the Djinn going down, to leave just the beep of the heart monitor, and Dean’s breathing. That gorgeous shot of his bloodied hand on the gun, that lingers just long enough to underscore the burst of gunshots. Everything Dean does here is tightly controlled, but it’s so close to the edge. I feel for Dean so hard in this moment.

15\. Bunker Reunion: aww FAMILY. Look what you made, Sam!

16\. Dean is never going to call Mary and Bobby at their sex cabin. Ever.

17\. Kitchen Scene: SO GOOD. Sam and Dean working in tandem, saving hunters. I’ve got a lot of feelings about them doing that, the hunter community has been such an ephemeral thing for Sam and Dean through their lives but here they are making their own as well as changing the old traditional crew. The Winchesters have learned from their younger generation? They’re ADAPTING.

They’re also adapting in their ability to talk to each other. The honesty in this conversation is almost unprecedented? Dean’s shifting me-we-he correction - the active language shift as he refocuses from blaming himself to blaming Michael - is so powerful, particularly when he openly does it in front of Sam. It acknowledges to Sam that he’s still learning how not to blame himself, and he allows Sam to see the difficulty he’s finding in this. And his lack of hope, and Sam’s – gosh, but Sam. The little soft shrug in body language when Sam says he’s sleep 2 hours instead of 3 conveys such a lot. It’s not just what they say here as much as it is the openness in expression. Neither one of them is hiding anything, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that so purely between these two stupid Winchesters. Does my heart good.


End file.
